


Sanditon Academy

by btvs35



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-12-28 11:30:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21136001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/btvs35/pseuds/btvs35
Summary: A modern retelling of Sanditon set in a high school.  Let me know if you think it works.





	1. Chapter 1

Welcome to Sanditon Academy! We are pleased to offer you an NQT placement for the 2019/2020 school year. We hope you will enjoy being part of our thriving and exciting team and we look forward to welcoming you in September. Yours sincerely Thomas Parker (Headteacher)

From a secluded, leafy lane area of Willington to the bustling seaside resort of Sanditon. Charlotte Heywood’s year had certain begun with a bang…literally….

Charlotte knew she wanted to work with children when she five. She would line up her teddies and dolls whilst placing her brothers and sisters in between. Alison always ruining her classroom by running in and disrupting her lesson plan. She would read to them, teach them Maths and take them round the garden, showing them every flower imaginable. She’d been lucky enough to volunteer at the local primary school but as of yet, this was the only experience she had. Apparently, having 11 brothers and sisters didn’t count on your CV.  
It was a Wednesday morning when they heard the crash, pillows of smoke filled the sky and a crowd of locals gathered to witness the commotion. A middle aged man and woman emerged from a crushed vehicle, thankful to have made it through.  
Whilst the crowd gossiped then dispersed, Charlotte took action. She quickly gave the strangers hot drinks, directions to a local B & B and let them use her mobile to ring recovery. She even waited with them as they tried to salvage what they could from the now unusable mode of transport. This was when she mentioned her dream, to be a teacher of English and as fate had it, it was absolutely fortuitous that she had bumped into Mr and Mrs Parker that same day.  
For one whole year later, with the Parker’s as her reference, she had been able to book herself on a PGCE course with a guaranteed placement at Sanditon Academy. Charlotte had a feeling this year was going to be the best experience of her life.


	2. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidney and Charlotte meet, up to the end of Episode 1

She stared up into his dark mysterious eyes and wondered what lay beneath, what secrets they held. All the staff at Sanditon Academy had their portraits on the staff room wall, but this one….it appeared to reach out and demand Charlotte’s attention.

‘That is a portrait of Sidney, my younger brother.’ Tom’s voice uttered, snapping Charlotte out of her bubble. ‘We're expecting him down from London for the monthly night out. We're counting on his help to make Sanditon outstanding.’ It was then that Charlotte learnt he was a school improvement officer, responsible for several schools in the district and also a language teacher part-time at Sanditon. Tom spoke so highly of him ‘He's a man of affairs, a man of business, importing, exporting. He's here, there and everywhere. You can ask him yourself when you meet’ Something made Charlotte’s heart flutter at this prospect but she didn’t know why.

Miss Heywood had managed her first day. Her hair scraped back, a clean white shirt and smart black skirt, she wanted to make a good impression. The Parkers had generously invited her to stay at their fashionable flat named Trafalgar house. She had received such a nice welcome from them and all the staff but her mind had been buzzing from the ridiculous amount of information she had been expected to absorb on her first day. The most confusing being the abnormal amount of staff called Parker. Tom was obviously the head teacher, Mary, his wife, Head of English. As well as Sidney, Tom also had a brother and sister; Arthur: teacher of Drama and Diana: Health and Social studies. There was Esther and Edward Denham, teachers of Science and Mr Babbington who taught PE and many more she was sure she would encounter. It was the head of governors however that seemed to worry them the most: Lady Denham. To have a lady involved in their school was clearly a great honour but Charlotte had the feeling they walked on egg shells around her, never wanting to slip up. After all this whirling in her brain, she felt her heavy eyelids draw her into slumber, not to be woken until day 2 of her greatest adventure…

As she walked through the school gates the next day, arm in arm with Mary, she felt great; her heart beating with excitement of a full day ahead. It was short lived however as a flashy sports car blocked her path. ‘How rude’ Charlotte thought to herself, some playboy coming to drop off his teenage son in a vehicle that’s clearly compensating for something. She gathered herself, prepared to give the driver a tyrant of abuse when those mysterious eyes she had met earlier focused on hers.

‘It’s Tom’s brother Sidney’ she heard Mary gasp. She then proceeded to embrace her brother-in-law with a hug. His gaze diverted to Charlotte with some confusion. ‘New dinnerlady?’ he rudely enquired, without addressing her directly. ‘Sidney!’ Mary chastised him. She was not wholly insulted as she respected everyone but the way he continued to talk across her was starting to make her blood boil. ‘This is Miss Charlotte Heywood, one of our NQT’s and our guest at Trafalgar House’ Finally he decided to show some interest but then couldn’t even remember her name ‘Miss…?’ ‘Heywood’ Charlotte had to assist. He barely stayed to hear the answer as he walked away, Mary in tow. What a dick! Charlotte concluded.

Over dinner later on, Mary had tried her best to redeem him ‘He can be abrupt and inattentive like he was with you. But he has a good heart.’ The mystery of Mr Sidney Parker growing deeper by the minute. ‘I worry about his own happiness. He's inclined not to think very highly of our sex. He's had some bruising experiences in the past. I should like to see him settled. But I fear it's not in his nature.’

Charlotte tried her best to bear this in mind later in the week when the staff had all headed to the local bar for their monthly drinking night. Tom had planned it to encourage staff well-being and to ease the stress of the job. As much as she felt welcomed into the world of Sanditon, she much preferred to sit back at the bar and observe everything going on. Her thoughts interrupted by Sidney.

‘A penny for your thoughts, Miss Heywood.’ Oh, so now he was going to be polite! She thought to herself. It had surprised her somewhat and could only try to be polite back, it was in her nature afterall. ‘ I was thinking how very hard it is to make people out.’ She pondered aloud. ‘Did anyone in particular provoke that thought?’ There was something in the way he smiled at her that prompted her to feel at ease. ‘People in general. I like to amuse myself by observing and trying to make conclusions. But in a place like Sanditon where strangers mingle freely, it’s hard to form a reliable judgement. People can be so difficult to interpret. Don't you find?’ Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she thought. ‘And what have you observed about me upon our small acquaintance?’ Uh oh, could he tell what she’d first thought, after all, first impressions can change, can’t they?

‘I think that you must be the sensible brother of the three.’ Flattery gets you everywhere, right? ‘Oh, the sensible brother? And what makes you say that?’ Was he flirting? ‘Well I may be mistaken ...but it seems to me that your younger brother, Arthur, has a very contrary nature. Alternately over-lethargic and over-energetic. While your elder brother, Tom, could be called over-enthusiastic. I'm afraid that, despite his good nature, he neglects his own happiness and his family's in his passionate devotion to Sanditon. Don't you agree?’ Shit! Why has his expression changed!! ‘Upon my word, Miss Heywood, you are very free with your opinions.’ She’s put her foot in it. ‘I beg your pardon, I didn't,’ He continued.

‘And upon what experience of the world do you form your judgements? Where have you been? Nowhere. What have you learnt? Nothing, it would seem, and yet you take it upon yourself to criticise. Let me put it to you, Miss Heywood, which is the better way to live? To sit in your father's house waiting for someone to come and take you off your parents' hands? Or to expend your energy in trying to make a difference? To leave your mark. To leave the world in a better place than you found it. That is what my brother Tom is trying to do. At the expense of a great deal of effort and anxiety, in a good cause for which I do my best to help and support him. And you see fit to criticise him, to amuse yourself at his expense. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, she’d never been spoken to like this. ‘I beg your pardon. I have offended you. Please forgive me.’ ‘No, you haven't offended me. I'm the one at fault.’ Thank god for that, she feared she had made such a bad impression. ‘Why do I always say things without thinking?’ she thought to herself. ‘I shouldn't have expected so much from a girl with so little experience and understanding. Excuse me’ he pushed past her and out of the bar. Badly done Charlotte, badly done!


End file.
